Throughout the period from 1971 to 1987, the IHRA operated primarily in the south-eastern United States from its headquarters in Bristol, Tennessee. Carrier initiated drag racing’s long-term sponsorship association with the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company’s Winston brand. The IHRA briefly dropped the Top Fuel category in 1984, reinstating it for the 1987 season.
In 1988, the IHRA was purchased by Billy Meyer, leading to changes including restructuring sportsman classes and hosting IHRA national events at Texas Motorplex. Financial difficulties led to another sale in 1989, with headquarters returning to Bristol, Tennessee, under the ownership of Ted Jones and Jim Ruth.
Bill Bader purchased the organization in 1998, expanding promotion in the Great Lakes region from headquarters in Norwalk, Ohio. Bader sold the IHRA to Clear Channel Communications, remaining as president until October 2004. Clear Channel was later split, with the IHRA becoming part of Live Nation, then Feld Entertainment in 2008. In 2010, the IHRA adopted a “Chicago style” format for professional classes, which proved controversial.
In 2013, the IHRA was purchased by owners of Palm Beach International Raceway and renamed IHRA Motorsports, integrating with IRG Sports + Entertainment. IRG eliminated the Chicago format in 2014, and subsequently sold off its race tracks, leaving the IHRA as primarily a track sanctioning body. Following 2014, the IHRA became a sportsman-only series, leaving NHRA as the only viable drag racing series for the general public.
On December 14, 2024, businessman Darryl Cuttell announced his acquisition of the IHRA. On March 7, 2025, the IHRA announced the acquisition of seven race tracks, including National Trail Raceway, Milan Dragway, and Kil-Kare Raceway, alongside a 2025 schedule that included a return to professional national events. In November 2025, the IHRA completed the acquisition of the World Drag Racing Association (WDRA), increasing its member tracks to 117 across the United States, Canada, Aruba, Australia and New Zealand.
Ahead of 2026, the IHRA began expanding into other motorsports disciplines, purchasing Powerboat P1 USA/P1 Offshore in October 2025 and creating the IHRA Stock Car Series a month later. The IHRA oversees tracks in 30 states, as well as in Canada, Hawaii, and Aruba. The organization’s first major event in Canada was a one-off in 1992 at Toronto Motorsports Park, with Canadian events becoming regular fixtures later in the decade. The IHRA is now the premiere motorsports sanctioning body in Canada, hosting three national drag racing events. In 2015, the IHRA added four Australian tracks, but Perth Motorplex returned to ANDRA sanctioning in 2016.